The invention relates to a door hooking arrangement on motor vehicles for the protection against a lateral impact in the case of accidents with a hook being arranged which forms a hooking element at least in the lower area of the door, said hook interacting with a receiving device provided on the exterior vehicle side member in the case of a lateral crash impact on the door in a hooking manner.
A door hooking arrangement of the initially mentioned type is known from the French Patent Document 2 418 111, in which a reinforcing plate having a hook is arranged on the door, and a corresponding receiving device is arranged on the side member. This arrangement has the disadvantage that, when the door is open, the hooking element on the door side as well as the hooking element on the side-member side form projecting components which may lead to injury during the leaving and the entering as well as during the cleaning of this vehicle area. In addition, the projecting exposed components of the door hooking arrangement have a negative influence on the overall stylistic appearance of the vehicle.
It is an object of the invention to take such measures on a door hooking arrangement that, while the arrangement functions well, the vehicle user cannot be injured while entering or leaving the vehicle or when cleaning the vehicle.
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of an arrangement wherein the hook and receiving device are covered by covering parts in the normal condition and wherein, in the case of a lateral crash impact on the door, starting from a defined effect of force, wall sections of the covering parts arranged adjacent to the hook and receiving device break open and release the hook and receiving device.
The principal advantages achieved by means of the invention are that the elements of the door hooking arrangement are covered by the arrangement of covering parts provided with predetermined breaking points when the door is open, and thus no injuries can be caused by projecting parts during the entering and leaving or during the cleaning of this vehicle area. However, a good functioning of the door hooking arrangement is ensured in the case of a lateral crash impact on the car because the predetermined breaking points will break open in case of a corresponding effect of force and thus ensure an effective hooking-together of the door and the side member.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.